Abducted Student Suing U of R

posted by Deanna King -

Aug 7, 2018

One of the University of Rochester students who were victims in a brutal kidnapping is filing a civil lawsuit against the University of Rochester. Nicholas "Niko" Kollias was a student and football player in December of 2015 when he and other student kidnapped and taken to a home on Harvest Street. The men were physically, sexually and psychologically tortured for 40 hours until a SWAT team rescued them. Kollias is filing a personal injury lawsuit alleging that his injuries were sustained as a result of the university's negligence. According to a lawsuit filed in federal court, Kollias is seeking a jury trial. Kollias claims the university issued multiple campus public safety alerts before and after the incident in which he was victimized. However, he alleges the university did not properly inform him about any incidents in the four weeks leading up to it. The motive for the entire incident was revenge for that assault and robbery. Sometime during the 40 hours of captivity, those involved realized they had the wrong men, but refused to let them go. Nine suspects were later arrested. Four were convicted and five took plea deals.

The university released the following statement in regards to the suit:

"The University is currently reviewing the lawsuit brought by Mr. Kollias. We view the events of December 2015 as truly heinous and we wish the best for both students—now graduates—who were involved. However, we plan to defend against the allegations this lawsuit contains, chiefly that the University failed to protect Mr. Kollias from the circumstances of his abduction. The University of Rochester is strongly committed to fostering a safe learning environment for all its students and fully complies with, and in many cases exceeds, the policies, practices and laws that fulfill this commitment."